CHIPS Articles: ‘Speed Conferencing’ with Industry at WEST 2018

‘Speed Conferencing’ with Industry at WEST 2018

By Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence Public Affairs
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February 8, 2018

Industry and small business personnel had the opportunity to meet with program managers (PMs) or their designated representatives from various U.S. Navy Information Warfare commands for a ‘speed conferencing’ event during WEST 2018 on Feb. 7.

“Our outreach efforts to industry, including events like ‘Meet the PMs’ at WEST, help us to deliver affordable capability to warfighters faster," said Chebi. “Working with our partners in the private sector is critical to our ability to deliver what we promise. We want industry's ideas and innovations, and forums like this enable us all to work together more effectively to support the fleet.”

Program offices direct and coordinate various operations throughout the Department of Navy including information assurance, cybersecurity, international C4I integration, shore and expeditionary integration, naval enterprise networks and communication satellites.

“We do a ‘speed conferencing’ event every year at WEST,” said Capt. Andrew Gibbons, program manager of the Communications and GPS Navigation Program Office (PMW/A 170). “It is similar to what someone might see at a ‘speed dating’ venue because industry can sync up with multiple program offices in a condensed amount of time to share their methods for modernization and acquisition processes. This structure has proven to be very interactive and effective.”

In order for industry members to meet with a PM or designated representative from a Navy’s program office, they must request a time slot ahead of the scheduled event and provide their company’s background information. Meetings are typically scheduled in 15-minute increments and companies can request to meet with up to two different program offices.

“Requests are honored on a first-come, first-served basis,” said Angela King, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) Small Business Office. “However, all requests are subject to review and acceptance by program-office personnel to ensure appropriate technology matches. We want to make sure that we have a good match for every meeting, so that the ‘speed conference’ is beneficial for both sides of the table.”

Now in its 28th year, WEST 2018, the premier naval conference and exposition on the West Coast, brings military and industry leaders together in a single locale to encourage discussion with the makers of platforms and the designers of technologies impacting the warfighter and the information warfare domain. This three-day conference is co-sponsored by Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) International and the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI).

CHIPS is an official U.S. Navy website sponsored by the Department of the Navy (DON)
Chief Information Officer, the Department of Defense Enterprise Software Initiative
(ESI) and the DON's ESI Software Product Manager Team at Space and Naval Warfare
Systems Center Pacific.